F1 news: Top pundit reveals WHY Red Bull continue to dominate Formula 1

Christian Horner, Max Verstappen y Sergio Perez en Belgica — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News

Top pundit reveals WHY Red Bull continue to dominate F1

Naomi Schiff has given her insights into why Red Bull are so far ahead already in the 2024 season

Sheona Mountford

Friday 15 March 2024 16:44

Once more - just like last year and the year before - Red Bull are the dominant force in F1.

Whilst qualifying times may be close, with Charles Leclerc setting the best time in Bahrain Q2 despite Max Verstappen gaining pole, Red Bull are far ahead on race pace.

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The title race may already be over, with Verstappen achieving two flawless wins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The Dutchman was particularly strong in Bahrain, clearing his team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished in second, by 22 seconds.

Schiff remains hopeful despite dominance

Former racing driver and Sky Sports F1 pundit, Naomi Schiff, believes she knows the main reasons Red Bull are so dominant once again in 2024.

“One of the biggest factors for them and what’s really helping them with their performance is the lack of tyre degradation they have,” Schiff said on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.

“It does make the difference, you know we saw the gap in Qualifying being smaller than it was last year, so that is something to be optimistic about.

“But, clearly in the race there just was no competition for them and that just comes down to multiple factors, whether it’s the camber that they’re running, the toe that they’re running, the amount of heat that they’re managing to keep in the wheel and in the hub but also evacuating enough heat so that the tyres aren’t overheating."

“All of those small things come together and they’ve really had to strike the balance. It’s only race one, this track is very high in tyre degradation, it’s very abrasive. So, I think that that will actually get smaller and that’s something to look forwards to.

“Last year, we saw - take a look at Singapore, not a lot of grip on the track, quite bumpy, I think as we go forwards of the season to tracks that have less tyre degradation, the gap will inevitably be smaller, so that’s a silver lining here.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Charles Leclerc Sergio Perez Naomi Schiff